Yes there are additional fees, and yes you can get bids on some of those, but honestly, we personally have found that finding a team around us more than pays for itself. 

I wouldn't go to home depot or lowes for something that specific.I'm sure you're trying to keep costs down, but you may want to bid out a full replacement vs. the paint. 

The thesis of my post is that it's possible to bid 10% over asking price and still get a "deal" which I think, recently happened to us.

So, we got a quote from him to take it from it's present state to texturing and painting of this 1,500 SF house, interior only, and the bid is $5,620 which is $1.25/SF of surface. 

Were getting contractors to get us bids,  and we've applied to a local mortgage broker that we know well.

I have had my eye on some upcoming tax auction properties, mostly to watch and learn from the process, but if they go for the right price I may try to bid.Anyway, I am trying to do my due diligence stuff ahead of time both for practice and so I feel comfortable bidding up to a pre-determined limit... but I want to make sure I'm understanding everything right.1) Tax DEEDS - I've been searching a lot on these forums and it seems like there's more about liens than deeds, but in Idaho, it seems they do tax deed auctions. 

No one sophisticated will bid on your property.

We have placed offers on 3 houses so far and have been totally out bid by other buyers.

I have bid requests out to contractors we work with, however I would love to hear some personal experiences. 

Walked through with a contractor and received a bid for $10,000, all parts/labor.